Fire door for furnaces



J. G. RQBINSQN FIRE DOOR FOR FURNACES Filed Nov. Sheets-Sheet 1 l927. 1 628 274 May J. c ROBINSON FIRE DOOR FOR FURNACES Filedflov 22. 1920 a Sheets-sheaf? y 10,.1927' J. G. ROBINSON FIRE DOOR FOR FURNACES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 22. 1920 Patented May lit, i927.

UNITED STATES JAY G. ROBINSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FIRE DOOR FOR FURNACES.

Application filed November 22, 1920. Serial No. 425,850.

This invention relates to fire doors for furnaces and mechanisms for opening and closing the same, and has for its object to provide certain new and useful improvements therein as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it of course being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details may be made, within the scope of the claims, without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a fire door for furnaces embodying the features of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of Figure 1 at the pivoted side of the doors.

Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 1, the door ring being broken away to show the guide for the free ends of the doors.

Figure d is a fragmentary front elevation of the door with the fluid actuated door operating means removed.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the doors pivoted to opposite sides of the door ring. I

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the fluid actuated door operating mechanism at one side of the doors and the controlling valve at the opposite side of the doors.

The present device includes a door ring 1 which is intended to be fitted to the fire door opening of afire box in any ordinary or approved manner. The fire door opening in the door ring is closed by a pair of swinging doors designated 2 and 3 respectively. When the doors are closed, the joint therebetween is disposed in a substantiallyhorizontal direction, and the doors are mounted to swing upon the pivots 4 and 5 respectively, whereby the doors work in the same vertical plane, the upper door opening upwardly and the lower door opening downwardly. Normally the free ends of the doors are held against being forced outwardly by pressure within the fire box, by means of a hook shaped reeper 6 integral with or otherwise provided upon the door ring. This keeper extends a suitable distance across the outer faces of the doors and also extends a suitable distance above and below the joint between the doors.

The keeper also constitutes a guide to insure that the doors return to their normal positions after being opened. Extendingacross and in front of the doors at the pivoted sides thereof is a cover plate 7, best shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, which plate is suitably secured in place and is pierced by the pins 41: and 5 on which the doors are mounted to swing. This cover plate and the adjacent front portion of the door ring constitute a guideway in which the doors work and are confined, and which also resists outward pressure against the doors and assists in maintaining the latter in working alignment.

The doors are mounted so as to have the joint between their meeting edges in a substantially horizontal position, as distinguished from doors having a meeting joint in a vertical direction, and the present arrangement has been selected because there is not always room at the right and left of the fire door opening to permit lateral ope-ning of the doors to the right and left.

The door operating mechanism of the present invent-ion is fluid actuated and includes a cylinder 8 mounted in avertical position in front of the doors and adjacent the pivoted ends thereof. This cylinder is mounted upon a supporting plate 9, to which the cylinder is secured by the upper and lower clamps or brackets 10 and 11. The'piston rod 12 extends downwardly through the bottom of the cylinder, and pivotally suspended therefrom in any suitable manner is a link 13, on the lower end ofwhich is pivotally supported an upright cross-head l4: pivoted intermediate of its ends at 15 upon the link 13. As best shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, it will be seen that the lower end portion of the cross-head la is offset to the right of the pivot 15, while the upstanding end portion of the cross-head is offset to the left of the pivot 15 and extends upwardly a suitable distance at the left hand side of the cylinder.

Associated with the upper door is a lever 16 disposed across the front'of the door and between the cylinder and the door ring. This lever is fulcrumed at 17 near its outer left hand end, which end is pivotally connected at 18 to the upper end of the cross-head 1 1.

Adjacent the inner end portion of the lever there is a depending link 19 pivoted at 20 to the lever and at 21 to the upper door 2 adjacent the lower edge thereof. The lever 16 extends a suitable distance beyond the pivota-l connection 20 and is provided with a suitable handle 22 extending at substantially right angles to the lever and projecting outwardly from the door.

For the actuation of the lower door there is a lower substantially horizontal lever 23 fulcrumed at its outer end as at 24: between the cover plate 7 and the door ring. An intermediate portion of the lever is pivotally connected to the lower end of the cross-head 14 as at 25, and there is an upstanding link 26 adjacent the inner free end of the lcverto which the link is pivotally connected at 27, the upper end of the link being givotally connected to the lower door 3 as at 28. A handle 29 extends outwardly at substantially right angles to the inner free end of the lever.

The fluid pressure supply to the cylinder 8 is controlled by a suitable valve 30 inounted upon the front lower portion of the cover plate 7, and this valve is in turn controlled by a foot lever 31 fulcruined intermediate of its ends at 32 upon a bracket 33. The pipe connections between the valve 30, the cylinder 8 and the fluid pressure source are not shown as they form no part of the present invention, and are shown and described in Patent No. 922,530 dated May 25, 1909 and in Patent No. 1,325,657, dated December 23, 1919. As to the operation of the valve 30 and the cylinder 8, it is sufl'cient to say that the valve 30 is normally closed and may be opened by depressing the foot lever '31, whereupon fluid pressure will be admitted to the top of the cylinder and the piston therein depressed so as to actuate the door operating mechanism to swing the doors open. hen thefoot lever 31 is released, the valve will close and the fluid pres sure above the piston in the cylinder 8 will be vented to the atmosphere or otherwise so as to permit elevation of the piston by the air trapped below the piston and compressed in the cylinder, all as shown and described in the patents above referred to.

With the doors in their closed positions, as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, the doors may be swung open into the positions indicated in dotted lines by depressing; the foot lever 31 and admitting fluid pressure into the top of the cylinder 8, whereby the piston rod 12 will be moved downwardly which will result in pushing downwardly the cross-head 14, and as the latter is connected at its upper end to the outer end of the upper lever 16 and at its lower end to an in.- termediate portion of the lower lever 23, the inner end of the upper lever 16 will be rocked upwardly and the inner end of the lower lever 23 will be rocked downwardly, whereby the doors 2 and 3 will be separated and swung in the same vertical plane upon their pivots 4 and 5 into the open positions indicated in dotted lines whereby the lire door opening within the door ring 1 will be exposed or open, and fuel may be introduced into the fire box in the usual n'ianner. Upon ren'iovingthe foot from the foot lever 31, the fluid pressure in the top of the cylinder t5 will be permitted to escape, and the piston will be lifted by the fluid pressure trapped beneath the piston, whereby the cross-head 1st will be drawn up to its normal position resulting in an operation of the levers it; and 23 to clot-1e the doors.

Inasmuch as the great majority of firemen handle a shovel right handed. as it is co1ninonly expressed, the actuating cylinder and the controlling foot lever and likewise the pivots t and 5 of the doors have been placed at the left hand side when facing the lire door, whereby the fireman can stand slightly to the left of the door which places hii the best position for obtaining coal from the pile in rear of him and subsequently placing his left foot upon the lever :31 for or ening the doors and finally pitchin the coal in between the opened doors and iii-to the fire box. This position of the cylinder and of the foot lever permits the fireman to have access to any of the parts thereof while standing at one side of the door r-sithout exposing himself to the heat radiating from the fire door when closed or escaping from the fire box when the doors are open.

A door cracker A is hung from the bottom of the cylinder 8 so as to be in convenient reach of the fireman, and may be of any desired construction, such for instance as shown in my Patent Jo. 1,407,222 dated Feb. 21, 1922, and therefore a detailed illustration and description of the door cracker is deemed unnecessary.

it modified arrangement of the doors has been shown in Figure ti, wherein the several parts of the doors and the door operating mechanism are substantially the same as hereinbefore described, the main difference residing in the fact that the doors are pivoted at opposite sid s of the door ring upper door being pivoted. at its left end as at l and the lower door being pivoted at its right hand end as at 5", the door ruin being provided with a bracket or extension 3% to accommodate the pivot 5.

Another modification of the pr sent in vention shown in Figure T, wherein the doors and 3 are pivoted to the left hand ride of the door ring and the cmitroihng valve .6 and foot lever 31 are mounted at the left hand side of the device, but 1e cylinder 1; cross-head ll and conn rte mounted at the right hand vice, the levers 16 and 23 of from their connections towards the right of the device in ative relation with the cross-head i Fron'i the foregoing description, it v-sill be understood that, so far as the mere opera- O COUllOttion of the doors is concerned, the fluid pressure cylinder 8 and the foot lever 31 may be jointly at the right or the left hand side of the device, or one of said members may be at the right hand side of the device and the other at the left hand side of the device according to the interior arrangement of the locomotive cab or to accommodate the apparatus to special conditions.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of a pair of oppositely swingable fire doors Working in a vertical plane and meeting in a substantially horizontal joint, door operating levers pivotally connected to the said doors, and fluid actuated mechanism including a Vertically ar ranged cylinder associated with the levers for both positively opening and closing the doors.

2. The combination of a pair of pivotally mounted fire doors working in a vertical plane and meeting in a substantially horizontal joint, and fluid actuated door oper ating mechanism including a vertically operating lever for each door, a link connection between each lever and its door, a cross head associated with the levers for moving them in opposite directions, and a fluid actuated piston associated with the cross head for moving the same to actuate the levers.

3. The combination of a pair of oppositely swingable pivoted fire doors working in a vertical plane and meeting in a substantially horizontal joint, and fluid actuated operating mechanism for the doors including a vertically arranged cylinder and piston disposed at one side of the door opening and said fluid actuated means being adapted to both positively open and close said doors.

4;. The combination of a pair of pivotally mounted fire doors oppositely swingable .edgewise in a vertical plane and meeting in a substantially horizontal joint, and fluid actuated operating mechanism for the doors including a fluid actuated piston and a controlling valve there'for, the pivotal points of said doors and said piston and controlling valve being all located at the same side of the door openin 5. The combination of a pair of oppositely swingable pivoted fire doors working in a vertical plane and meeting in a substantially horizontal joint, the pivotal mountings of the doors being in substantially vertical alinement and arranged at one side of said door opening, and fluid actuated operating means for opening and closing the doors located adjacent and inwardly of the pivotal mountings.

6. The combination of a pair of oppositely swingable pivoted fire doors working in a vertical plane and meeting in a substantially horizontal joint, the pivotal mountr ing of the doors being in substantially the 0 same vertical plane and arranged at one side of said door opening, and fluid actuated operating means for opening, and closing the doors, said ope ating means including a vertically arranged cylinder and piston located at one side of the door opening.

7. The combination of a pair of oppositely swingablepivoted fire doors Working in a vertical plane and meeting in a substan tially horizontal joint, the pivotal mountings of the doors being in substantially vertical alinement and arranged at one side 01" said door opening, and fluid actuated operating mechanism for opening and closing the doors,.said operating mechanism including a fluid actuated piston and a controlling valve therefor, said mechanism being located ad jacent and inwardly of the pivoted ends of the doors.

8. The combination of a pair 0]": oppositely swingable pivoted fire doors working in a vertical plane and meeting in a substantially horizontal joint, and fluid actuated operating mechanism for the doors including a vertically arranged fluid actuated piston and means for controlling the operation of said piston, said means being located at one side of the door openin I 9. In a fire door, the combination of a door ring, a pair of fire doors oppositely swingable and pivoted upon the door ring at one side thereof, working in a vertical plane and meeting in a substantially horizontal joint, and fluid actuated operating means for opening and closing the doors, said operating means including a cylinder and piston and a controlling means therefor mounted upon the door ring, said operating means being located at the same side as the door pivots and inwardly thereof.

10. In a fire door, the combination of a door ring, a pair of fire doors pivotally mounted upon the door ring to swing in avertical plane and to meet in a substantially horizontal joint, said door ring having a keeper overlapping the free ends of the doors at opposite sides of the joint therebetween.

11. In a fire door, the combination of a door ring, a pair of fire doors pivoted upon the door ring to swing in a vertical. plane and to meet in a horizontal joint, a keeper provided upon the door ring and overlapping the tree ends of the doors and extending at opposite sides of the joint therebetween, and a cover plate secured to the door ring and lying across the fronts of the pivoted end portions of the doors.

12. In a fire door, the combination of a door ring, a pair of fire doors pivotally mounted upon the door ring to swing in a vertical plane and to meet in a substantially horizontal joint, said door ring having a keeper overlapping the free ends of the doors at opposite sides of the joint therebetween, and fluid actuated door operating mechanism supported by the door ring and disposed in front of the doors and between the pivotal supports therefore and the door opening in the ring.

13. A furnace door eon'iprising a pair of door plates mounted to swing apart and to- ;ztdher, edgewise across the door opening, and interconnected to more in unison, and a thud-actuated piston for operating the door arranged to move cross-wise oi the door plates inside their fulcra.

l-t. A 't'urnace door comprising a pair of door plates mounted to swing apart and togirether, edgewise, across the door opening, and intei onnected to more in unison; and a fluid motor tor operating the door mounted to permit one of the door plates to swing behind it, inside their fulcra.

15. A furnace door comprising a pair of door plates pivoted to swing part and together, edgewise, across the door opening; a fluid motor for operating the door mounted and arranged tor one of the door plat-es to swing behind it, and for its piston to more inside their fulera in substantially the direction of the initial opening moven'ient ot one of the door plates; and linkage 11'1Gl11 operatively connecting said piston to the door plates, and interconnecting the door plates to swing in unison.

In testimony whereof I allir: my signature.

JAY G. ROBIITSOII. 

